Card flat cleaning system



April 15, 1969 H. RUTZ CARD FLAT CLEANING SYSTEM Sheet Filed Dec. 26, 1967 INVENTOR. HAM/.5 Pa 72 ATTORNEY April 15, 1969 H. RUTZ 3,438,093

CARD FLAT CLEANING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 26. 1967 Sheet 2 of 2 INVENTOR.

HA'NS FrU 7'2 United States Patent C "ice US. Cl. 19--107 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF Th: DISCLOSURE Air at a relatively high pressure is blown longitudinally through the chamber formed by the flats to clean the flats. The air is drawn out of the chamber under a low pressure force and directed into a filter box where the card waste from the flats is either deposited or carried onto a conventional waste removing system.

This is a continuation-in-part of my earlier patent application, Ser. No. 372,346, filed June 3, 1964, now abandoned.

The present invention relates to a pneumatic system for cleaning or stripping the flats of a card.

Conventional card flat cleaning systems are unsatisfactory because they do not completely remove the flat waste and do not effect sufficient cleaning of the idle flats.

The object of the present invention is the provision of a complete card flat cleaning system which entirely avoids any manual cleaning.

A system according to the invention comprises a low pressure and a high pressure system, a blower interposed between the systems and a filter placed upstream of the blower. The high pressure system is connected to one end of a cylindrical chamber formed by the flats which are in Working position and by the flats which are in nonworking position. The low pressure system is connected to the opposite end of said cylinder chamber so that an air flow is produced along the flats and across the card.

In another system according to the invention, the'low pressure system connected to the end of the cylindrical chamber formed by the flats communicates with a conventional central card waste removing system. In this system, the high pressure system is exposed to the surrounding environment about the card to draw air therefrom and to blow the air into the cylindrical chamber.

According to the invention air is also blown onto the flats at the locations where the direction of movement of the flats is reversed.

In a further development of the invention dust-laden air is withdrawn alongside the flats and outside of the above-mentioned cylindrical chamber at the locations where the direction of movement of the flats is reversed. The low pressure system may be provided with a suction opening above the nip formed by the feed roller and the licker-in.

The novel features which are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, and additional objects and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following description of embodiments thereof when read in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevation of a card according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the card shown in FIG. 1 with parts broken away.

3,438,093 Patented Apr. 15, 1969 FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the card showing the upper part in section, the section being made along line IIIHI of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of a modified card according to the invention.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, numeral 1 designates a card comprising a lickerin 2, a main cylinder 3 provided with flats, and a doffer 5 with delivery roller aggregate 6. The flats 4, when in working position, move in the conventional manner on an inner, arcuate fiat guide, which is concentric with the main cylinder 3, up to a return bend 7 whereafter the flats 4 move in idle position on an outer, arcuate flat guide back to a second return band 8. In order to remove fly and other flat and card waste from the interior of the flats a plurality of blow nozzles 10 are provided on one side of the card. The nozzles 10 have outlets 9 (FIG. 3) for blowing air in axial direction at diflerent radial distances from the rotation axis of the cylinder 3 into the space between the arcuate flat guides. Two suction inlets 11 are placed at the opposite side of the card for receiving the air current carrying loose waste. Blow pipes having axial portions 12 and 13 are placed in the neighborhood of the return bends 7 and 8, respectively. These blow pipes have slots discharging air jets toward the flats traveling around the return bends in a direction approximately tangential of the arcuate flat guide. Suction inlets 14, 15 coextensive with the flats are placed outside of the return bends 8, 7, respectively, for receiving and removing fly, etc. In order to control the air current alongside and inside the flats a hood 16 is provided outside of the idle flats and extends from the suction inlet 14 to the suction inlet 15.

The air circulating system comprises a radial blower 17 driven by the shaft of the main cylinder 3 for drawing air out of a filter box 18 and into an adjacent pressure chamber 19 to which all blow pipes are connected. The air received in the suction inlets 11 flows through a return channel 20 to the filter box 18 wherein the pressure is relatively low. The suction inlet 14 receiving the air supplied to the inside of the flats through the blow pipe 12 terminates in the channel 20 directly below the return end 8. Also connected to the channel 20 is a suction inlet 21 which extends into the converging space between the licker-in 2 and the feed roller 22 for withdrawing the dust-laden, relatively high pressure air developing in said space. The flat waste stripped at the return bend is moved through the suction inlet 15 and a suction conduit 23 into the filter box 18.

Two blast nozzles 24 are connected to the high pressure chamber 19 for blowing air in opposite directions and parallel with the rotation axes of the cylinder 3 and the dofler 5 into the zone adjacent the nip formed by the dofler 5 and the cylinder 3. In this way the edges of the card web are made coherent by extremely simple means which facilitates removal of the card web. Aside from the blow nozzles 10 the high pressure system comprises sockets 25 extending in radial direction adjacent the ends of the flats for returning purified air to the workroom wherefrom some air has been drawn through the suction inlets 11, 14, 15, 21. Thus, the carding machine according to the invention also serves as air purifier for the workroom wherein there are sources of dust and fly in spite of the total cleaning of the cards. The card waste 26 is collected in the lower part of the low pressure filter box 18 and must be periodically removed therefrom. The filter box .18 may be open at the bottom and connected to a conventional central card waste removing system. For example, referring to FIG. 4, the blower 27 sucks the air from outside the filter box 36 and blows air into the chamber 32 formed by the flats 30 and 31 through the blow nozzle 28 and the jet outlet 29. Then the air 3 fiow is exhausted on the opposite side of the chamber through a suction inlet stub 33 which is connected via a line 34 with the low pressure area 35 of the box 36 which area 35 in turn is connected via a line 37 to a central exhaust system (not shown) which supplies the suction pressure.

What is claimed is:

1. In a card having a main cylinder, a plurality of flats paraxial of said main cylinder and movable in one direction on an inner part-cylindrical path concentric with said cylinder along a portion of and adjacent to the circumference of said main cylinder, said flats being movable in opposite direction on an outer part-cylindrical path concentric with and radially spaced from said first path, said flats forming an arcuate chamber between said paths substantially coextensive with the length of said main cylinder having a pair of openly disposed open sides pneumatic means for removing card waste, comprising:

means for conducting air in a circuit having a low pressure portion and a high pressure portion, and

a blower interposed between said portions for drawing air from said low pressure portion and blowing the air into the high pressure portion,

said high pressure portion of said air conducting means being connected to one open side of said chamber for delivering air thereinto longitudinally along said flats across the card and said low pressure portion of said air conducting means being connected to the opposite open side of said chamber for receiving air therefrom,

said low pressure portion including filter means for separating the card waste from the air before the air enters said blower.

2. In a card as defined in claim 1 a waste removal duct connected to said filter means for removing the card waste therefrom.

3. In a card having a main cylinder, a plurality of flats paraxial of said main cylinder and movable in one direction on an inner part-cylindrical path concentric with said cylinder along a portion of and adjacent to the circumference of said main cylinder, said flats being movable in opposite direction on an outer part-cylindrical path concentric with and radially spaced from said first path, said flats forming an arcuate chamber between said paths substantially coextensive with the length of said main cylinder having a pair of oppositely disposed open sides:

pneumatic means for removing card waste, comprising:

means for conducting air in a circuit having a low pressure portion and a high pressure portion, and

a blower interposed between said portions for drawing air from said low pressure portion and blowing the air into the high pressure portion,

said high pressure portion including a plurality of air outlets placed at one open side of said chamber for delivering air thereinto longitudinally along said flats across the card,

said low pressure portion including a plurality of air inlets placed at the opposite open side of said chamber for receiving air therefrom,

said low pressure portion including a filter means for separating the card waste from the air before the air enters said blower.

4. In a card as defined in claim 3 wherein said air outlets are placed at different radial distances from the rotation axis of said main cylinder.

5. In a card as defined in claim 3 a plurality of air outlets connected to said air conducting means of said high pressure portion and extending adjacent one end of 4 said chamber substantially radially outward beyond said outer path.

6. In a card as defined in claim 3 wherein said paths have return bends where the direction of movement of said flats is reversed and wherein said low pressure portion further includes an air inlet placed outside of said chamber at least at one of said return bend portions for sucking air therefrom.

7. In a card as defined in claim 6 wherein said high pressure portion further includes an air outlet placed inside of said chamber at least at one of said return bend portions for blowing air onto said flats.

8. In a card for producing card web from fibrous material having a main cylinder, a doffer forming a nip with said main cylinder, a plurality of flats paraxial with said main cylinder and movable in one direction on an inner part-cylindrical path concentric with said cylinder along a portion of and adjacent the circumference of said main cylinder, said flats being movable in opposite direc tion on an outer part-cylindrical path concentric with and radially spaced from said inner path, said flats forming an arcuate chamber between said paths substantially coextensive with the length of said main cylinder having a pair of oppositely disposed open sides:

pneumatic means for removing card waste, comprising:

means for conducting air in a circuit having a low pressure portion and a high pressure portion, and

a blower interposed between said portions for drawing air from said low pressure portion and blowing the air into the high pressure portion,

said high pressure portion being connected to one open side of said chamber for delivering air thereinto and said low pressure portion being connected to the opposite open side of said chamber for receiving air therefrom,

said low pressure portion including a filter box for separating the card waste from the air before the air enters said blower,

said high pressure portion including a blast nozzle at each side of the card adjacent said nip for blowing air in opposite directions and parallel with the rotation axes of said main cylinder and said doffer onto the card web for improving coherence of the edges of the card web.

9. In combination with a card having a plurality of flats disposed in an endless path above a main cylinder, said flats forming an open-ended chamber within said path; means for blowing air longitudinally through said chamber along the interior surfaces of said flats, said means including a high pressure means disposed outside of said chamber for generating a stream of air at a high pressure, outlet means connected to said high pressure means and disposed in one open end of said chamber for delivering said stream of air at a high pressure into said chamber and directing said stream of air longitudinally along the interior surface of said flats to remove card Waste therefrom, and low pressure means connected to the opposite open end of said chamber for directing the stream of air from said chamber at a lower pressure than said high pressure.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,683,901 7/1954 Griswold 19107 XR 2,984,263 5/ 1961 Loepsinger. 3,204,296 9/1965 Reiterer 19-107 XR DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner. 

